Putin Asks Iranian Leaders Not To Carry Out Attacks On Israelis Targeting Citizens

Russian President Vladimir Putin/DOK TASS

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to refrain from responding to the alleged killing of a Hamas leader by Israel. Putin advised against carrying out attacks on Israeli civilians.

The message, according to senior Iranian sources, was delivered Monday by Sergei Shoigu, a senior ally of Kremlin leaders, in a meeting with top Iranian officials when Iran considered its response to the murder of Ismail Haniyeh.

Tehran also pressured Moscow to send Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, two Iranian sources, who knew the secret of the meeting in Tehran, told Reuters on Tuesday, August 6.

In Moscow, the Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment. The state-run RIA news agency reported on Tuesday that it was discussing Haniyeh's murder during his visit to Tehran.

The two sources familiar with the matter did not provide further details on talks with Shoigu, who had served as defense minister before becoming secretary of Russia's security council.

They said Shoigu's visit was one of several ways Moscow used to convey to Iran the need to exercise restraint and at the same time condemning Haniyeh's murder as a "very dangerous murder", in an attempt to prevent war in the Middle East.

The Middle East, said the source, is on the verge of a major war and the parties behind the killings are clearly trying to trigger the conflict.

Russia has fostered closer ties with Iran since the start of its war with Ukraine and said it was preparing to sign a broad cooperation agreement with Tehran.

There has been no immediate comment from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. On Monday they said Tehran was not trying to escalate regional tensions but needed to punish Israel to prevent further instability.